Pressurized gases, such as, air, helium, nitrogen, halogen, and the like, have many uses in industry. In general, pressurized gas systems work by providing a receiver, also commonly known as a tank, canister, reservoir, etc., which receives and stores the compressed gas for use at a later time. A discharge on the receiver is accessed to disburse some of the compressed gas from the receiver, which correspondingly reduces the pressure of the gas contained in the receiver.
A gas compressor is a mechanical device used to recharge or pressurize the receiver after a determined volume of pressurized gas has been discharged from the receiver or the receiver pressure has decreased to a predetermined value. The gas compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of gas by reducing its volume. Generically, the term gas compressor and air compressor may be used interchangeably herein. Many gas compressors draw gas from the atmosphere, in other words, air. In any event, a volume of air is inducted into the compressor and then mechanically compressed into a smaller volume in the compression chamber. The compressed air is discharged from the compressor and stored in an air receiver. Compressed air is used for a wide range of applications. As the air is used from the receiver, the compressor needs to compress more air to keep up with the demand. A common method of driving an air compressor is an electric motor. The idea is to have compressed air on demand, but to limit the number of times the motor must start the compressor in a given time period, to prevent motor burnout.
Gas, or air, compressors use a variety of devices to control the operation of the compressor. The control type employed is determined by how frequent there is a demand for compressed air. A compressor that encounters varying periods of light and heavy usage, can be equipped with two, or more, control types, which is generically known in the industry as dual controls. The operator can manually switch between each control type, depending on the demand for compressed air.
As can be appreciated, the dual control compressor for a pressurized air system requires a number of parts, connections, and space to be set up and function properly. Thus, against this background, an improved dual control for a compressor is needed.